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How To Secure
Your Furniture

How To Strap Your Water Heater

These instructions are for installing a water heater restraint for a water heater on a straight wall using the conduit method:

1. Mark the water heater 9" down from the top and approximately 4" up from the top of the controls. Locate the wood studs in the wall on both sides of the water heater.
2. Using a stud finder or other appropriate methods, locate the closest stud behind and to one side of the water heater.
3. Transfer the marks on the water heater horizontally to the adjacent wall where the stud identified in step 2 was located.
4. Drill a 3/16" diameter -3" deep pilot hole at the marked location for the x 3" long lag screws.
5. Measure around the water heater and add 2" to that measurement. Cut 2 pieces of 1 1/2" x 16 Gauge metal strap to the above measurement. Measure 1 1/2" from each end of the strap and bend outward to an approximate right angle. Drill a 3/8" hole in the bent ends to accommodate a 5/16" x 3/4" bolt and nut and mount loosely on the water heater. The bolt/nut should be on the front of the unit.
6. Using a straight stick, place the end at the hole in the wall with the side of the stick against the side of the tape around the tank. Measure the distance from where the stick touches the water heater to the hole in the wall. Add 1 1/2" to this measurement and cut 1/2" diameter conduit to this length. Repeat this for each piece of conduit. There may be two different measurements for the conduit due to the location of the studs.
7. Using a hammer or vise, flatten 1" at each end of the 4 pieces of conduit. Be sure to flatten both ends of each piece of conduit in the same plane.
8. With the conduit in a vise, drill a 3/8" hole in one end of each conduit approximately 1/2" from each end. Measure 1" from the end and bend up approximately 45 degrees. This angle will have to be corrected slightly as the work progresses. Hold the conduit on the wall with the hole in the conduit over the hole in the wall, and mark the other end on the metal straps around the water heater and on the conduit. Take down the conduit and drill a 3/8" hole at the mark for the bolt through the flattened end of the conduit. Repeat for the conduit on the other side.
9. Remove the straps around the tank and drill a 3/8" hole at the locations indicated by the conduit. Loosely secure the straps to the tank and place a 5/16" x 3/4" bolt through the hole in the strap. Place the conduit on the bolt protruding from the strap and place a washer and nut on the bolt and tighten. Tighten the straps around the tank at the correct locations. Position the opposite end of the conduit at the hole in the wall and insert the lag screw with the washer and tighten. Do not drive the lag screw with a hammer. It may be easier to do one side of the tank at a time because positioning the tape can be difficult.
10. Heater Safety Straps - If the water heater is not positioned within 1" of the wall, secure a 1" drywall (sheetrock) step spacer behind the water heater to reduce the gap and to prevent excessive movement. This is normally one (or more) piece(s) of of drywall within 9" of the top of the tank mounted to the rear wall studs. Two small pieces of drywall are than fastened to the the first piece(s) to form a cradle behind the tank. If the tank does rock, even with the strap on, it will strike the sheetrock and not the wall - less damage to the wall and less to the tank.
11. Repeat the above procedure for the rest of the conduits.

This is only one method of securing your hot water heater. There are now commercial pre-engineered products available at your local building product supply store the accomplish the same task.

MOA Recognized Bracing Assemblies

NOTE: The 1/4" x 1" bolts referred to in the above are known as 1/4" x 1" round head machine screws with a nut.